Stephen Strange (Earth-513)
"Magic has consequences... And as an apprentice of the Sorcerer Supreme, I am honor-bound to prevent the abuse of magic!." - Stephen Strange(05. 03. 2015.) Twitter. Taken from the interaction here. Character Overview Stephen Vincent Strange is the orphaned eldest son of Eugene and Beverly Strange, brother to Donna Strange and Victor Strange. Losing both parents and the use of his hands in a car accident, Stephen sought out to become The Ancient One's disciple and learn the ways of magic, trying to find a way to restore his hands. He is a student of Marvel High, a human sorcerer and a disciple of The Ancient One. He currently resides in 177A Bleecker Street. He can frequently be found at the school's library and is often mistaken for the school's librarian. Twitter RP account: MHS_SStrange History Early Life Stephen Strange was born to Eugene and Beverly Strange on November 18, 1998, while on vacation in Philadelphia. He is the eldest son, brother to Donna and Victor. Early in life, Stephen had already shown his penchant for reading and learning, and as a result, had earlier ambitions of becoming a doctor. This ambition was further fueled when his sister, Donna, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As a brother, Stephen was rather fond of his siblings, but his focus on his studies caused him to seem distant from them. Donna, who prefers to be called by her second name, April, always tries to get his attention by taking his books and calling him names. He would always seem cross and would rarely play along, until one day when he saw his sister trying on their mother's lipstick. Taken over with the rare mischievous streak, he decides to draw upon her face. While chasing after him, she suddenly collapsed on the floor, clutching her head. This was what led to them discovering her illness. She was then hospitalized soon after. Stephen vowed to one day become the best neurosurgeon in order to be able to cure her. One night, the Strange family decides to celebrate Stephen's birthday by visiting Donna in the hospital, when a stray dog caused their car to swerve down the road. Stephen loses both parents in this accident, and his hands suffered extreme nerve damage, making him unable to use them, or even continue pursuing his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.(22. 03. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1slbfdu "Of Stray Dogs and Dysfunctional Families - Solo - Part 1"] As 'Doctor' Strange After the accident, Stephen spent his inheritance making sure that Donna's life support was kept going while he finds a way to cure his hands. Eventually, he had squandered too much his share of the money in seeking a cure, that he had turned to illegal means to survive. One of these included being a street drug dealer/courier under the alias 'Doctor' Strange. Sinking further into hopelessness and depression, Stephen decides to end his life, but was rescued by Wong, who offered the boy a second chance at life, taking him to meet the Ancient One. It is because of this past that Stephen avoids and dislikes being called 'Doctor' Strange, unless he fulfills his goal of becoming a doctor someday. As the Ancient One's Disciple After their fateful meeting, Wong had taken it upon himself to heal the boy's wounds and see to it that he recovers. Due to his desperation and frustration, Stephen arrogantly demands the Ancient One to cure him immediately. Twice the Ancient One refused him, for the reason that he was not 'ready' for what he had to teach him. Eventually, on the third try, when Stephen had calmed down and realized his mistakes, did the Ancient One begin his tutelage of the boy, while Wong stepped in to teach him martial arts and self-defense. Becoming a student of Marvel High The Ancient One, having decided that Stephen is not yet completely ready to be entrusted with more advanced magic, recommends that the boy be enrolled in a school to complete his education of the real world. He is then shortly accepted into Marvel High. As a student in Marvel High, Stephen recognizes the honor and privilege of being accepted into a special school and promptly does his best in his schoolwork, wanting to prove to the Ancient One that he is ready and that he will not disappoint him. Shortly after his enrollment, Stephen signs up for the Magic Club, an after-school club for Magic-users. He also later auditions for the school's production of "The Wizard of Oz", as the titular wizard. Stephen initially did not want to join any sports teams because his damaged hands were not suitable for athletics. Eventually, he signs up for the soccer team organized by Roberto da Costa, as he reasoned soccer doesn't actually require the use of hands unless one is the goalie. Recruitment and fighting as an Avenger When Tony Stark founded the school's Avengers, he recruited several students who were held in detention for reasons unknown. Stephen was among them, including Steve Rogers, Henry Pym, Janet van Dyne, Peter Parker and Thorella Odindottir He fought alongside the team when Ultron first broke free from Pym's laboratory and attacked the school. It was on this battle that he was first able to use the Flames of the Faltine, a spell he had been trying to learn since he first entered Marvel High. During Tony Stark's disappearance, it was Stephen who first confirmed that Tony was not dead, having been unable to contact him via a seance.(09. 02. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1skird4 "The Seance - Solo"] When the real Stark managed to escape the Skrulls, Stephen alerted the Avengers to the scene and fought alongside them to keep the Skrulls away. However, he was knocked out mid-spell by the end of the battle, causing him to be stuck in astral form outside his body. It was with the help of Steve Rogers that he was able to get back to his own body. The Servant under the control of Ultron Victoria Shade, confronting the Magic Club, had threatened Stephen that Ultron knows about his sister. Presenting him with a gem, the synthodroid informs him that Ultron will grant his sister and himself a cure for their ills if he chooses to align with them, along with a thinly-veiled threat that Ultron will 'pull the plugs', one way or another, on his sister should he choose not to. The gem was promised to grant Stephen additional power.(13. 02. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1skl94c "Friday the 13th - [ @MHS_VShade ]"] In actuality, the gem was actually a controlling agent sent by Ultron to influence Stephen into going against the Avengers and preparing a Potion of Discord for Lorna Dane.(19. 02. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1skp5vs "Something Wicked This Way Comes - Solo"] It created a second persona for Stephen called The Servant, which was later found out and exposed by Matt Murdock and Elektra Natchios. Ultron's control on him was relinquished when Victoria Shade, enraged that the plan had been foiled and wanting to get her precious gem back, ripped the Control Gem which had embedded itself on Stephen's chest and promptly tried to kill him. Free of their control, Stephen uses the pool of blood to draw a teleportation sigil that eventually brought him to his sister's hospital room. Horrified by what the Servant had done to Lorna and what he'd almost done to his friends, Stephen decides that his sister should never again be used as a bargaining chip on him. He then proceeds to pull the plug on her life support, then modifies his own memory of the event.(22. 02. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1skrm48 "The Price of Regret - Solo"] The contract with Satana Hellstrom When Clint Barton was under the influence of Amora's enchantments. Stephen strikes a deal with Satana that would grant him the ability to undo Amora's spells and call upon Satana's powers against her. In return, he offers to pay everyone else's current debt by giving Satana a netheranium knife. As a collateral, Stephen had relinquished his soul until he was able to retrieve a netheranium knife he got from a shady back-alley auction. His newfound power was able to undo the containment circle that held Clint Barton, and later able to withstand Amora's magic. Drawing from Satana's powers, it also allowed him to apparently use Hellfire against the Enchantress. Wanda's magic children After the appearance of the uncannily identical Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd in Marvel High, Erik Lehnsherr approaches Stephen about the two boys, who also bear an uncanny resemblance to his own twins. It was later revealed that both boys are the result of Wanda's reality-altering magic and Stephen's own magic that caused two soul fragments to be reborn into the two boys. The Basilisk's Curse Unknown to Stephen and Satana, the Basilisk had included a curse upon Stephen's fulfillment of their contract. This curse turned Stephen into a werewolf. Stephen's first transformation was relatively tame, appearing within Harry Osborn's house party and gained the reputation of being an 'overgrown puppy dog' with Gwen Stacy and Carol Danvers. However, with each passing full moon, Stephen's transformations grew ever more violent, causing Satana Hellstrom to be concerned. Preventing the werewolf from slaying a man, Satana offered to give the lycanthrope a chance to experience the 'thrill of the hunt', opening a portal, relocating him to a wild open space in Canada. She also later advises him that it must be the work of the Basilisk, who was bound to her, and that while they try to find a way to undo the curse, he should be taking Wolfsbane potions. Meeting the Lehnsherrs Stephen was invited to the Lehnsherr's family dinner, which was a very tense affair for the young sorcerer, as upon his arrival, he was met with Pietro Maximoff's disapproval, and a warning. In the course of the night's events, Stephen was told by Charles Xavier to keep everyone in their seats. After Xavier's injury, Stephen, alongside Raven Darkholme, brings him to the hospital. Retrieving Satana's Soul Stephen Strange and Steve Rogers conspired to contain the soul-less Satana Hellstrom in a Demon containment circle in order to minimize the damage she can bring upon the school while they set off on a journey to Hell to retrieve her soul. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by Hellish fiends, outrunning them and getting inside the depository of souls, Stephen attempts to fight the protective magic that surrounds the Lake of Souls where Satana's soul was kept. This, along with keeping the containment circle up had taxed heavily on his body, exhausting his own energies in the process. Upon their return to the school, Satana Hellstrom's soul reunited with her, preventing the Basilisk from successfully being reborn as the child. It rebounded and possessed Stephen instead. Sensing the danger it may bring upon the school, Stephen casts a last-minute teleportation spell, transporting him away. The Splintered Sorcerer(05. 05. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sm2msr "A Splintered Sorcerer - Solo"] Heavily exhausted from using too much of his magical energies, Stephen splits into aspects of himself, namely Strange and Vincent Stevens (collectively known as the Strangers). The 'Strangers' * Strange(06. 05. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sm2ths "Strangers Among Us: Soul - Part 1 of 3"] - A being composed purely out of magic. It is capable of wielding elemental and aetheric magick. It is cryptic, and is easily provoked. With little to no knowledge of the world, it remains some naivety. As a creature of magic, Strange is drawn to magical forces. It symbolizes the Soul. * Vincent Stevens(07. 05. 2015.) Twitlonger. [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sm3b1l "Strangers Among Us: Body - Part 2 of 3"]' '- A seemingly ordinary boy who has some form of charismatic and illusion magic (one that he is not aware of). Prides himself with his ability to smooth-talk his way into a business deal. He also resembles the older Stephen under the influence of Age Magic. He symbolizes the Body. Stephen's essence itself remains trapped in a null-space between planes of reality, and cannot leave this space without fading away into non-existence.(08. 05. 2015.) Twitlonger. "Strangers Among Us: Mind - [Solo, Part 3 of 3"] Personality Stephen is rather intuitive, often thinking ahead. He also takes initiative to learn about things, going out of his way to make sure he researches the topic at hand adequately. He is also quite the stickler to rules; however, on occasion, he has been known to bend some of these rules himself, often by accident. Stephen is easily ruffled by the disarranging of the normal order of things, a more concrete example of which are disarranging the books in the school's library, which he has taken upon himself to make sure they are in order. He is also easily embarrassed about certain things, and unluckily, is prone to getting himself into embarrassing situations, like magical mishaps. Personal Relationships Over the course of his stay in Marvel High, Stephen has had several friends, allies and foes in school. Some of these relationships are mentioned here: Wanda Maximoff Wanda is Stephen's current girlfriend. Stephen met her when signing up for Magic Club. Spending most of their time as classmates, clubmates and friends, it took Stephen a while to realize he was in fact, attracted to her. This did not escape the attention of Victoria Shade, however, who confronted the Magic Club trio (consisting of then-Loki, Wanda, and Stephen), taunting Wanda to admit her feelings. Enraged, Wanda almost attacks Victoria, but is held back by Stephen. Stephen decides to get to know Wanda more and ask her out to the dance, where they initially decided to go to as 'just friends', but the time they spent at the dance made Stephen consider his feelings for her. Stephen later decides to confess his attraction to Wanda, and the two became a couple soon after. Satana Hellstrom Stephen considers Satana Hellstrom a good friend and an ally. They first met when Satana had etched sigils around campus. Joey Chapman, a fellow student, had earned the ire of the Demoness. It was Stephen who apologized promptly on his behalf, knowing that she, the daughter of Marduk Kurios, was someone not to be made an enemy of. When Clint Barton was under the spell of the Enchantress, Amora, Stephen went to enter into an agreement with the Demoness to gain enough power to fight against the Asgardian sorceress. She had also helped relocate and placate him during his transformation into a werewolf, with the agreement that he will never speak of this 'soft side' to anyone. Stephen also assisted in the retrieval of her soul, traveling alongside Steve Rogers to Hell and returning it to her. The two share a mutual respect for each other, considering the other as an equal. Charles Xavier Stephen looks up to and considers science teacher Charles Xavier as his mentor and father figure while in the school. They occasionally have tea together, discussing various topics of concern. During the Lehnsherr family dinner, Stephen sent telepathic messages to Xavier, expressing his concern over a powerful and sinister presence just outside the door (which turned out to be Victor von Doom). It was Stephen who, along with Xavier's sister, Raven Darkholme, brought Xavier to the hospital after his spine was accidentally injured when Erik Lehnsherr attacked von Doom. Alex Summers Alex Summers is one of Stephen's friends. Alex usually looks to Stephen in getting him out of trouble. For instance, he asks Stephen's help in repairing the damage an intoxicated Alex had inflicted on much of adoptive father Charles Xavier's home during an unsupervised house party, and again for help in undoing the enchantment Amora had placed on him. Stephen creates a precautionary spell to take over Amora's enchantments by entering Alex's mindspace, implanting the false memory of Rocket Raccoon re-enacting scenes from Fifty Shades of Grey whenever he sees or thinks about Amora. Tommy Shepherd Tommy Shepherd is one of the magical twins created by the combination of Stephen's and Wanda's powers. Upon the revelation of their heritage, Tommy is rather resentful of Stephen, occasionally calling him out for 'trying to be a dad', and saying that he wants nothing to do with magic. Despite this, Tommy has shown some interest in magic and magical artifacts (Stephen's cloak in particular). Like Billy, Stephen has expressed an interest in teaching the boy some magical knowledge. (Tommy is also, totally, 100% the favourite son).A speedster was here. Billy Kaplan Billy Kaplan is one of the magical twins created by the combination of Stephen's and Wanda's powers. Unlike Tommy, Billy is rather accepting of Stephen as his magical progenitor, though it took him a while to get his head around the idea. Stephen has offered to impart Billy with his knowledge of magic, sensing that the boy had much potential for it as well. Tony Stark Tony considers Stephen to be one of his best friends (alongside Thorella Odindottir), and has, from time-to-time, confided in him. During the time Tony Stark was captured by the Skrulls, it was Stephen who had discovered he was not dead after all. It was the two of them who decided that Victoria Shade must be reprogrammed to free her from Ultron's grasp. Steve Rogers Steve and Stephen also share what could be considered a close bond of trust and friendship. Stephen considers Steve to be one of the 'bravest and most honorable men' he has met in his life. He had accompanied Stephen when they went to Hell to retrieve Satana's soul. Powers and Abilities Magic Stephen has an arsenal of magic spells at his disposal (as a result of his training with The Ancient One), and is capable of doing several magical and mystical feats. He can call upon the powers of certain principalities to lend him their powers if need be. Spells shown to have been used by Stephen Strange: * Minor levitating spells * Crimson Bands of the Cyttorak * Shields of the Seraphim * Flames of the Faltine * Bedeviling Bolts of Balthakk * The Spell of Transference/Vanishing Spell * Teleportation/Portal Spells * Age Magic Other mystical feats of Stephen Strange: * Astral projection * Entering mindspace * Illusion-creation * Minor telepathy (thought projection) In addition, Stephen is also capable of making potions and antidotes. He can, with extensive study and analysis of a situation, reverse enchantments created by other sorcerers or magical beings. He can also perform seances, the extent of which is limited by several factors, including his own health and mental stability. Martial Arts Unknown to most students, Stephen is quite adept in physical combat. Wong trained the young sorcerer to be able to fight without the use of his magic, as a situation may arise where Stephen's magic may be nullified and he would need to defend himself. Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities * Science-based weakness: like most magic-users, Stephen has a science-based weakness. It is a cardinal rule that magic cannot recreate what science has already accomplished, and more often, this is the rule he follows. * Mortality: Despite being a sorcerer, Stephen is still only just an ordinary human being. He ages, can get sick, mortally wounded, or die. * Reliance on hand gestures, incantations and sigils: While he is able to call upon and perform various magical feats, Stephen is limited by certain spell requirements before casting. * Pressure points: Stephen cares a lot about certain people, who others can use to get a rise out of him. * Excessive desire to help others: While generally perceived as a good thing, Stephen is more often than not cornered into helping others. This often causes problems for the young sorcerer. Equipment The Lesser Cloak of Levitation Stephen owns a version of his master's Cloak of Levitation, which allow him the ability of flight (roughly around 15 miles per hour). The Cloak seems to be enchanted to have some quasi-sentience, responding to Stephen's thoughts. Disciple's Magical Amulet Stephen owns an amulet that serves as a clasp for his Cloak of Levitation, serving to amplify his mystical abilities. Affiliations * MHS Avengers * MHS Magic Club Writer Stephen Strange is written by group member and moderator, Writerstrange. Face-claim (FC) Stephen Strange's face-claim is Irish actor Colin Morgan, best known for his portrayal of the titular character Merlin from BBC's Merlin. Additionally, when Stephen managed to age himself via magic, his face-claim temporarily became Benedict Cumberbatch, best known for his portrayal of the titular character Sherlock from BBC's Sherlock, and is set to appear as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Doctor Strange. Trivia * Stephen Strange is one of the first student accounts created for Marvel High RPG, and thus is one of the oldest active accounts. * His writer also writes for two other non-MHS Stephen Strange accounts, EyeOfSanctum and TheNoirStrange. * His backstory is drawn mostly from the animated Doctor Strange movie and Marvel's official (Earth-616) version of the character. * Donna Strange, his sister in Earth-513, has a full name of Donna April Strange. She uses the name April, which is taken from the animated Doctor Strange movie. * It is forbidden for surgeons to operate on relatives. This implies that Stephen is the kind of person who will break ethics to save or protect those he cares deeply about. * It is yet unknown whether his brother, Victor Strange, had survived the accident. * He has several nicknames from other students and teachers. "Romeo" from drama teacher Emma Frost; "Harry Potter", which was originally mentioned by Steve Rogers; "Mr. Kissy Face", from Rocket; "Magic-dad", used by Billy Kaplan and, on occasion, Tommy Shepherd; "Sorcerer", the title given to him by Satana Hellstrom. * Stephen is a fan of Doctor Who and Harry Potter. He likens Wanda to Ginny Weasley. Reference list